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Why Driving Through Six Inches of Water Can Blow Your Engine Up

A lifelong mechanic demonstrates the danger

By Rain Noe - August 28, 2017

in Cars

Parts of Texas are currently experiencing record-breaking levels of flooding brought on by Hurricane Harvey. One of the people who died as a result was reportedly trying to drive her car through a flooded area. The car stalled, the woman became trapped inside as the car filled with water and she subsequently drowned.

It would seem common sense that one oughtn't drive an automobile through a heavily flooded area. But did you know that driving your car through as little as six inches of water can lead to your engine throwing a connecting rod? Here mechanic Scotty Kilmer explains and demonstrates why:

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Jay Davis

7 years ago

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Is there a particular reason we don't make "flood proof" cars as a standard beyond cost?

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- Dee Allison
  
  Jay Davis
  
  7 years ago
  
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  There's no way to overcome the most DANGEROUS part of floodwaters. A few inches of moving water can equate to tons of pressure, it can take as little as four to five inches of quickly flowing water to break a car's adhesion to the road and start to carry it away.
  
  There's no way to make a car that can overcome the simple fact that water is heavy, and fast-moving water can carry a staggering amount of force. It would just encourage people to attempt to take their cars where they do not belong.
  
  Notice the number of cars from which you saw dramatic rescues, and SUVs and pickup trucks are definitely over-represented in those videos. Part of that might be the automotive demographics of Texas but you see the same thing up north in heavy snow, with people that don't realize that 4WD helps you GO it does not help you STOP, and it does nothing to stop you from sliding.
  
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